


Stages of Grief

by AshaCrone



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Adoption, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Discussion of Abortion, Hurt Steve, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Miscarriage, Mpreg, Omega Steve Rogers, OmegaSteveFicExchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-05-02 20:22:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5262206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshaCrone/pseuds/AshaCrone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the OmegaSteveFicExchange:</p><p>Steve Rogers finds that he didn't wake up in the 21st century alone, in the most painful way possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stages of Grief

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dancinbutterfly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancinbutterfly/gifts).



> This is for Dancinbutterfly, using her first prompt for the fic exchange:
> 
> Steve and an alpha have desperate mating-heat sex not long before the crash. Steve always thought his history of illnesses made him sterile so they didn't use protection/suppressants/contraceptives/what-have-you not knowing that the serum healed him. Steve realizes he's pregnant a couple days after the Battle of New York. He's definitely not getting rid of his mate's baby but NOW WHAT?!?!?!?!?! Please please please include a lot of Steve&Tony bonding/bickering/fighting/dealing with each other over their shared history and family drama. (If you can figure out a way to bring back the alpha [comsic cube wishing? magic? time travel? underwear gnomes?] and make it a romantic happy ending, even better but SO not required.) I want this MORE THAN AIR, nonny. More than air. 
> 
> I'm not sure if this is what you wanted, but I hope you like it.

** Stages of Grief **

Disclaimer: Captain America, the Avengers and the rest of the MCU belongs to Marvel Studios and Disney and not me. I make no money from this work of fanfiction.

Pairings: Steve Rogers/Howard Stark, Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes

Content notes: ABO universe, Omega!Steve, unexpected pregnancy, heat, heat sex, non-consensual sterilization mentioned, angst, and non-traditional ABO.

Author's notes: Not sure if this is what you wanted. There's no non-con to the sex, but I wanted to emphasize that the situation was bittersweet and stuck with that. I also ended it a little early because I have a horrible tendency to write epic long stories and wanted to actually come to a finish with this one. I hope it is something you enjoy!

For: dancinbutterfly

** Chapter One **

"Stark, what the hell is going on?" Fury asked, striding towards Tony and Banner with his coat flapping in full drama-diva mode.

"Uh, what's it look like?" Tony snapped back, gesturing with his stylus as he looked away from where Banner and Dr. Selvig were both hunched over a hologram table, and talking sexy, sexy science. "We're having an orgy." And given the topic and the fact that his hands were shaking, he might be having performance issues.

It had been less than twenty-four hours since Loki had opened a hole in the sky and Tony had nearly died closing it. By all rights, they should be on a sugar sand beach somewhere getting massages while sipping drinks out of hollowed out coconuts or pineapples or even a goddamn durian if one of them felt like it. There would be stupid paper umbrellas, of course. Couldn't forget those. 

Instead he was here, in the blown out remains of the Helicarrier's lab studiously working with Banner and Selvig to figure out a way to send their unwelcome guest back to Asgard. 

At least they'd gotten the shwarama. 

"I mean, where the hell are the rest of the Avengers?" Fury growled, hands on his hips. He did a good impersonation of a clucking hen.

"Hell if I know. Doesn't the Great Eye of Sauron know all?" 

"Fury, I'm here, Thor won't leave Loki's side without Odin's say so and the assassins need your permission to piss," Banner said, the slightest edge to his voice. He had turned away from Selvig and was walking towards them, with a hint of Alpha dominance in his stride. Tony was impressed. He had half a theory that the Hulk was the Alpha side he had kept contained under years of hormone pills and who the hell knows what else. But that was for later. At any rate, Banner had kept that side of himself so locked up that to see him act, even remotely, self-assured? 

Nice. He wasn't into guys but even Tony found that sexy.

"So this means the person you are looking for is our resident Capsicle," Tony added. 

"And why isn't he here?" Fury's expression rivaled Thor's for the word 'thunderous.'

"Because the adults were talking." Tony rubbed his jaw, lips twisting. "You expected him to stay?"

Fury just shook his head, expression collapsing in on itself. "I expected him to stay on the Helicarrier."

"Why?" They had locked the scepter away but emotions were still raw even after the most victory high. He sure as hell didn't trust Fury. "You upset he slipped the leash? He's an Alpha. What the hell were you wanting him to do? He can sign those cards of Coulson's before the fun-"

"Stark," Banner said, and the Tony glanced at him. He was frowning, a growl in his voice. He looked back at Fury. "You're concerned about him. Captain America. Because he's not on the Helicarrier. Why?"

Fury scowled. "I only now got your after action reports. Captain Rogers reported an ache in his abdomen."

"Yeah, guy was limping when we got shawarma. So? We were all kinda banged up at the time." Tony tapped his fingers, and glanced over at Selvig. 

All of them still looked like hell. There had been time for shawarma and a shower and a catnap and avoiding Pepper and memories of what had just happened. None had been particularly eager to leave each other just yet until Loki was off world. So Tony and Banner and Selvig (brilliant guy, and it was a damn shame no one had taken him seriously before this shit storm) had chosen to go to the lab, while Natal- Natasha- _Black Widow_ had taken her bosom buddy off somewhere. She hadn't said where.

Rogers had been left to his own devices. He had stepped into the lab, looked at them all for a long moment, and had turned around.

He'd been limping then, too.

"Fine, you want to find the old man?" Tony reached for his StarkPhone. "Jarvis, search for 'His Perfect Alphaness, Lord Stick-up-the-Ass-"

"Tony!" And this time Banner accompanied his words with a slap to the table. 

"All right, all right- search for Captain-"

 _"He has gone to help with the rescue efforts,"_ JARVIS answered. _"He is currently being reported on by FOX, CNN and NBC-"_

Fury uses an override and one of the monitors started showing the different news channels, all of them focusing on Steve Rogers at his most gosh-darn-shucks helpfulness. He was moving something heavy on one screen, and in another they myriad flock of reporters were shouting questions. Few were answered, only with hearing sound bites of 'go and volunteer' or 'donate to the Red Cross' or, most commonly, 'no comment. I'm just here to do my part.' 

Like he hadn't done his part by keeping the entire battle together.

"Well, he looks well enough. Other than causing every available person with a uterus to spontaneously ovulate-"

Tony was rolling his eyes when they all saw it. It was a small thing, but it made Banner inhale and lean in. 

Rogers _staggered_. He recovered almost instantly, and it was hard to tell because the cameras weren't in HD, but his face was white as a sheet. 

"He should have healed already, Fury," Banner said, taking his glasses off and looking at Patches. "You know that-"

Fury's lips were pressed together, eye narrowed at the screen. "Stark. I don't care what you have to do. Get that man back up here. For _his_ sake."

~*~*~*~*~

Steve shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun, and blinked away the grit from the destroyed buildings. He had changed out of the ridiculous, nostalgic tights that Coulson had designed- they were damaged almost beyond repair anyways- into some regular SHIELD fatigues. He had hoped to join the volunteer efforts incognito, but that had been no go.

He had directed battles, battalions and covert missions. But he would always feel the most comfortable with his boots in the dirt, leading his troops. So here he was, helping with the efforts to pull lost souls from the rubble before they breathed their last.

The sun glinted off of shiny new flying armor, and Iron Man dropped down in front of him. All around, the first responders and relief workers scattered like disturbed, flustered pigeons. Not that he could blame them. A whisper of panic ran through them- dear god, if Iron Man was there was there going to be another attack?- but they calmed when Tony popped up the face plate.

"Hey, gramps."

"I have a name," Steve grunted, reaching down to pick up another fallen girder. He grunted again.

The injuries he had taken during the battle had been quick to heal, like they always did. His ribs had stopped aching, and his muscles and lungs no longer burned with fatigue. The torn skin was shiny and pink, and in the next day would be gone entirely. 

But the pain in his belly was still there. It had been sharp, at first, but battle fever had kept him moving. Later it had faded to a dull tear, like someone had put a hook in his guts and pulling. When he had reported it, he and the doctors had all assumed it would be as quick to heal as the rest of him.

It was getting worse.

"Yeah, yeah, Frozen Treat. Come on, you've been out past your bedtime. Fury's having kittens."

Steve blinked, and gestured to Vasquez to take over for him. She nodded and Steve limped off to the side while Tony stomped after him. "Nothing for me to do there." He was out of breath, and tried to nonchalantly lean against a crumbling brick wall. He slid down to the ground instead.

"You look like hell, Cap." Stark sounded like he was examining a bug. "Didn't think big Alpha Super Soldiers could look less than fresh."

Steve grimaced, and looked down at himself. He had his shield arm braced over his middle as he panted for air. "Yeah, well," he started, tried to find a quip, but nothing came out but more harsh pants. "I..." He closed his eyes, and tried to get his feet under him. 

He felt the hot gush between his legs and he blinked stupidly at the almost black stain soaked through his pants. His vision grayed.

"Hey- old guy-" he could feel cool, hard fingers tapping his face. "No falling asleep on the job. Come on, you're on the clock here. We need to get you- oh shit."

When did he close his eyes? 

"Stark?" He couldn't get them open again. The stabbing, pulling feel got worse as he groaned. 

"Keep your eyes on me, Cap," Stark said. "Come on, Cap. Eyes on- shit. Screw this." 

He couldn't stop the strangled gasp when Stark hefted him upwards. "Come on- oh god dammit." 

Steve managed to crack his eyes open, and looked down at the ground. The ground where he had been sitting was liberally smeared in blood. "Huh."

"Don't you 'huh' me, Captain Alpha." Stark actually sounded afraid. "Can you hold on to me?"

He nearly grayed out again, but he managed. That was how he wound up being carried to the Helicarrier via Iron Man. He was able to step off once they touched down...

And he promptly passed out.

~*~*~*~*~

Tony was pacing back and forth outside of the infirmary doors, tapping his phone and trying to figure out _what the hell was going on_.

"We aren't going to hear about his condition any faster if you keep moving, Stark," Fury said. He had his own tablet and was frowning at it. Banner was sitting on the other side of the room, and Tony hoped they both kept it together. 

Alphas on hormone therapy were pretty stable nowadays. Tony's regular guy Beta nose didn't tell him squat about Alpha fight instincts but he was happy that they weren't likely to start tearing into each other. But that meant that the instinct to fight over territory and mates was lessened, not removed entirely.

God he remembered how disappointed his dad had acted when he had turned out normal. Just a beta. Not like Howard, not like the forceful Alpha. 

Howard, who had been obsessed with the man they were waiting for news on.

"I don't get it," Banner mumbled. "I've studied the serum, and all the reports on Cap I could get my hands on. He should have recovered already."

"He was found ten days ago, Doctor. Frozen in ice. That we could revive him at all should tell you about what kind of miracle that damn serum was." Fury crossed his arms, then snorted. He looked older than Tony could ever remember. "We couldn't believe it at first. All of the files we had? None of them came even close to what we discovered while thawing him out."

Tony paused. "You performed experiments on him while he was unconscious?"

"We had to run tests, Stark. We had to know what we were dealing with. We were seeing traumatic brain injuries reverse between one CAT scan and another. You bet your ass we tested him."

"Does _he_ know-"

The doors of the infirmary OR opened, and a tiny woman in scrubs- and from the way Fury and Banner both straightened and came to attention, likely an Omega- stepped out. She had removed her gloves, facemask and paper apron, but there was still sweat on her brow. Not to mention regret in her eyes.

"Director. I'm sorry."

"Do _not_ tell me we lost Cap to construction work," Tony butted in, and the woman looked at him with fierce brown eyes. 

"He's alive. He'll even recover. But," she started, then paused, eyes darting between Fury and Tony. Fury pinched the deep crease between his brows before nodding. "There was no way to stop it once it happened, but it looks like he lost one. At any rate, the ultrasound showed-"

"What the hell," Banner mumbled, getting to his feet and running his hands through his hair. He didn't look so much like a potential giant green rage monster as a very rumpled, and shocked, professor. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"If you think I'm saying his body flushed out an embryo?" she asked, voice icy. "Yes, I am. It happens. Most Omega men initially implant more blastocysts than they can sustain. Losing a few, either through being reabsorbed or partial miscarriage is common." She scowled, both at Fury, and then at Banner and Tony for good measure. "But he lost one coming out of the ice, too. Director, he needs to be kept away from stress. He was carrying at least three. Now, as far as we can tell-"

"Captain America is an _Omega?_ " Tony asked, dumbfounded. His brain shorted out. Because that was wrong. All of it. Sure, now that he thought about it, none of his official documents _said_ he was an Alpha. All of them just said he became stronger than one. His dad had backed it up in interviews. His dad had _said_ ... 

"And you sent a pregnant person out to fight an alien army?" Banner asked, crossing his arms as he turned to Fury. 

"He agreed to it," Black Beard answered, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, normally I would be all for Omegas making their own choices but did you let him know he had a miscarriage right after getting out of the ice?" Banner went on, voice rising. Tony, listening to this, sank on to the bench outside the ER and tried to _adjust_.

Misgendering happened. With commercially available scent diffusers, Alphas and Omegas smelled no different from your average Beta. Female Alphas and male Omegas had been forced to find ways to pass for... decades. Centuries. It had kept them alive when people treated them like monsters or needed scapegoats. 

None of the official documents made official note of Cap's sex. But his dad had always, always referred to Cap as an Alpha...

Hadn't he?

"The patient panicked and tried to escape when he came out of his coma," the sweet-faced doctor protested. "And most male Omega's naturally abort excess multiples. It's unpleasant but it usually means the remaining offspring are born healthy with more resources-"

Tony just shook his head. He never had been the kind of guy to reject reality. But-

"So, how do we tell Captain America that his oven burnt his apple pie?"

~*~*~*~*~

_1943_

They had already taken Dr. Erskine's body away when Steve had returned to the 'antiques shop.'

It had taken about ten minutes for the regular police to show up after he had fought the assassin. Fought the assassin, pulled him from his sub and the assassin had chosen to kill himself instead of face justice for what he had done.

Steve's blood _boiled_.

But the clarity that had come from fighting- and having his body respond, respond without pain or hesitation- had worn off. What he was left with was not exhaustion, but confusion.

Everything was brighter. The boy, the one thrown in the water? His hair was a strange color. In fact... there were strange, unknown colors everywhere. Everything was sharp, too. Like when he held a book or picture about two inches from his nose and squint. His lungs could pull the dusty, lead-sweet air down to the bottom of his lungs and out again without a twinge. He coughed, experimentally, after some woman asked if he was all right. When nothing happened beyond sounding a bit ridiculous, he nodded at her. 

Perspective was different. He had been able to move, direct himself in the heat of the moment, but now everything felt off. He wasn't sure where his feet and hands were. Everyone moved slowly, like they were floating through honey. 

He had always felt like his body was broken and flawed compared to the people around him. Yet now he felt, weirdly, that he was wearing the body of a stranger. So he said nothing much when the MPs arrived, with the rest of the SSR. Peggy, lovely Peggy, arrived with a great coat and threw it over his soaked clothes and lead him to the car to take them back.

Sounds were coming in on both sides. Cars were high pitched squeals before becoming low roars as they zoomed off. Peggy was breathing. She had always breathed, he realized, but now it was noticeable. So was the driver. 

His thoughts felt wooly, carefully padded in gauze, separate from the part of his brain that was trying to grapple with the changes his body had undergone. 

His gut was heavy. 

He had always felt like his belly was empty- not just from hunger- but now there was a new weight behind his navel. It was strange. 

Steve licked his lips and frowned, looking down at his lap. 

Smells were more intense. Sharper. Peggy was warm and safe, one hand laid over his like she was comforting a child. She smelled similar to him. The driver kept glancing back, and his scent was... not as safe. It felt aggressive. Territorial.

"Eyes front, soldier," Peggy snapped at him. "I'm armed, and you saw what Corporal Rogers here did with the submarine."

Steve noticed that his breathing slowed while Peggy swore under her breath, leaning in until her lips were brushing his ear. Goose bumps raced down his back and arms. 

"I'm taking you back to headquarters. There's an Alpha there I trust." She stroked his hand. "Steve. Why didn't you tell us you are an Omega?"

~*~*~*~*~

_2011_

Steve had hurt worse. 

He might have had the shield, but no one could avoid being shot forever; not in the war. He had a huge target in red, white and blue. He didn't mind drawing fire. 

Waking up from his coma had felt like it should have hurt. There had been a ghost of it hanging in tattered wisps in his body, but adrenaline had pushed it away soon enough.

His eyes snapped open, and he tried to sit up.

"Captain Rogers?"

He blinked, looking around. There was a small part of him that was still terrified of waking. He couldn't have said if it was fear of waking in the past or further in the future... or of just being stranded in this strange time without Bucky or Howard or the Howlies. 

To his surprise, it was Nick Fury by his bedside. The man's face was seamed with new creases since the first time they had met, and they were all wrinkled in an expression of professional concern.

Steve opened his mouth to try to speak. Coughed. Fury offered him a glass, and Steve hissed in pain as he struggled to sit up. 

"Stand down, soldier," Fury said, putting a hand on Steve's shoulder and guiding him back. Steve frowned but allowed it. The ache in his belly wouldn't allow him to do otherwise. 

"What happened?" Protocol said he should add a 'sir' to the end of that. Protocol didn't have fire in his belly. He shifted and frowned; there was a pad between his legs. 

His face flushed.

"That's complicated," Fury started, his one eye focusing on Steve's chin, obviously uncomfortable. For a man who was able to lie so well and so completely, Steve wondered what could get him so flustered. Likely, he reflected, the truth.

"Then start at the beginning."

Fury's lips spread in a grimace. "The matter is somewhat... delicate. When was your last heat before going into the ice?"

Steve went blank. He knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. knew about his sex. Only his doctor had actually spoken of it. Somehow he hadn't imagined Fury bringing it up. God knew that Colonel Phillips hadn't wanted to. "Ah," he said, then paused. Those last few months had been filled with horror and grief: the loss of Bucky, the unspoken decision he had made to do whatever it took to take down HYDRA and to kill the Skull. The quiet, unacknowledged choice to go down fighting. "I was pretty irregular. My last one was..." He paused, frowning as his mind fuzzily sorted things out. A vision of Howard kneeling beside him, hand on his knee, while he tried to drink away his pain floated in front of his eyes. Nothing had worked. Nothing. Not even Howard's touch.

"I think- about six weeks ago?" Steve said, peering over at Fury, who was frowning hard enough to increase gravity. "I've never had a schedule. That I had them at all after the serum was strange."

"You don't say?" Fury asked, and went to sit on the chair beside his bed. "I take it you had a partner, who helped you through it?"

Steve's fingers tightened on his blankets. "Something like that. Is this really necessary, sir?"

"Unfortunately, Captain, it is." He paused. "Are you aware that you are approximately six weeks pregnant?"

Steve flailed, hissed in pain and fell back. He rolled to the side, propping himself up on his elbow so he could look Fury in the face. 

"That's- that can't- how?"

Fury steepled his finger tips together. "I would presume it happened in the normal fashion, as a result of having sex. Unless those stories about you and Barnes are just rumors?"

Steve's head spun. "That. Sir. It's not possible."

"I have it on very good authority- namely, Dr. Reinstein- that you are quite pregnant." He reached for a plain, manila folder and handed it to Steve. His name was on it. "We have devices that use sound waves to see inside the body. Unless you have an alien of some kind growing inside you, your uterus has an occupant."

The folder fell from Steve's fingers as Fury passed it to him. "I-that shouldn't be- that-"

"Captain?" Fury asked, getting to his feet. "Are you all right?"

Steve shut his jaw with a click. "Sir. I -" he felt the air freeze in his chest. It was almost as bad as an asthma attack. Denial mixed with disbelief. "I can't."

"See, that's the reason you're here and why you hurt so bad." Fury's voice was low, hands on his knees and leaned forward. "You're an Omega and were carrying more than one. The stress of the battle... I'm sorry to say you lost one. It looks like the serum has kept you from losing the other." He peered into Steve's face, but he wasn't paying attention.

His ears were ringing too hard.

"But- but I can't."

"Son, you're probably the healthiest Omega on the planet. You're big enough that, with today's medical tech, you could probably throw a litter." Fury leaned back. "Unless you're saying you've never..?"

Steve laughed. It sounded more like a sob. "No, sir. You don't understand. When- when I was-" He shuddered and looked away. "When I changed, had my first heat? My mom took me to the hospital because she thought my fever was pneumonia." Steve gripped the bed rail, and bent it. "When I woke up I found out I'd been sterilized. My uterus was _gone_ , Fury. Now you're telling me-"

Oh god. The heats. He _had_ heats. He thought the serum had just screwed with him. He and Bucky had been together throughout the war. They'd never considered using rubbers because they new Steve couldn't-

For a moment, wild hope rose up to choke him; it just as quickly fell to ashes. If Steve had been able to get pregnant the whole time...

God in heaven. This wasn't Bucky's baby.

Fury's eyed widened, before turning blank. "My condolences. I take it you didn't realize..."

Steve shook his head. While hope no longer choked him, everything else was. "I need a moment, sir." He didn't know what he wanted to do. Maybe scream. Break walls. Certainly cry. But he couldn't do that in front of Fury.

To his credit, Fury seemed to understand that need. "I'll leave. Press the button," and he nodded to a button on the bed that still managed to be intact. "When you're ready to talk again."

Steve managed to keep his face calm as Fury left. Then he covered his face with one arm and let the tears start to fall.

To be continued.

** Chapter Two **

There were options now. More options than when Steve had been a kid.

Back in his day, being outed as a male Omega was the same as a death sentence. He would have likely been fired from his job, evicted, and unable to find work. The only way for a male Omega was to conform, completely, to being a female Beta. That meant leaving your old life behind. Parents with male Omega or female Alpha children either moved to a new city, or drove their children out. 

It was social suicide otherwise. And not in the 'no party invitations' kind of way.

Being the child of a male Omega was even worse, if it was discovered. Being the son of a sow just as bad as being a son of a bitch; finding out that your sire was a female Alpha was nearly as bad. Both were illegitimate, bastards in the eyes of the law and God. Being raised in an orphanage had connotations of that; your weren't born from God-sanctioned, natural union. 

Steve sat down from his quarters in Avengers Tower and looked out over the city, still trying to figure out what to do.

Eugenics had been fashionable at the time. Male Omegas discovered in a hospital could often find themselves waking up without their wombs. Female Omegas and Alphas, if they were poor immigrants or negroes or were in an asylum were often in the same boat. Let alone any other group deemed 'undesirable.' 

In a way, it had been a relief. He hadn't had his first real heat until after the serum. 

Steve hadn't minded much when Bucky had to step out on him to keep up appearances. He couldn't marry Bucky, couldn't give him children. 

So Steve had remained his best friend in public, went on painful double dates, wanting nothing more than to either run away or take the lucky dame's place.

They'd screwed after Steve had rescued him, of course. Snuck around as best they could without getting caught. But he'd been nowhere near a heat. Kept it quick, quiet, usually hands or mouths. 

Steve sucked in a breath. God. It wasn't Bucky's kid. Bucky hadn't fucked him near a heat since right after they'd found him and the Howlies had started going after HYDRA bases.

It was Howard's baby.

And Steve, who had never thought he would have kids, had more options than he could handle.

Steve kept staring out the window. He could terminate. He had known a few other male Omegas who had been forced to do it. The church said it was a sin, but so was existing, apparently. They had been desperate. One had died from infection afterwards. 

It made the most logical sense. He didn't know how to care for a kid. His mom had loved him and protected him and doing her honor would be the hardest thing in his life. All he knew about dads was a picture and a medal. On top of that, if this kid had Howard's brilliance- and Tony seemed to prove that it would breed true- along with the serum..?

What kind of kid would this be?

Steve stroked his belly. Keeping the kid seemed impossible. The world might be more accepting of Omegas now, but Captain America was an Alpha. A man's man. Even if he kept the pregnancy secret this entire time, he would still need help.

The obvious person to tell seemed to be Tony... which was also the most stupid.

Howard had been Steve's friend, his solace, the fella who had tried to hold Steve together when he had lost it after Bucky had died. 

Tony apparently shared none of Howard's kindness towards Steve. Sure, he had extended his home to Steve when he had found out about Steve's pregnancy, but now...

God, he had no idea to do. He had wanted to give Bucky children, but had never realized it was possible. But now he realized what Howard had done. Howard had tried to tell him. Steve hadn't believed it.

~*~*~*~*~

_1943_

Peggy steered him through the SSR's secret base, telling him to stop, to turn, to walk straight. It was a bare blip in his mind; her words were strange and distant, barely audible through the crash and whirl of noise and sights and sensations buzzing up around his head. 

_What's wrong? Holy shit- Carter!_

They had gone to small storage room or a large closet, Steve didn't know. But nothing made sense. The smells were too much.

_I've seen a few heats in my time, Howard, and he's having a bad one. Did Erskine expect this?_

_No idea. I didn't even know he was an Omega. Fuck. We can't let Phillips know, he'd flip his wig. Dammit-_

_Most Omegas are at least coherent. Usually the first one-_

_Do you think-_

_I don't guess, Howard. I get answers. He's nearly catatonic, and pretty much any Alpha could smell him if we had him in public._

_Can he consent? Because I'm a cad but I ain't takin' advantage of a guy if he's out._

Someone pat his face, then his hand was pinched. Steve blinked several times.

His cunt felt wide open, empty, wet slick oozing between his legs. Howard Stark was in front of him, along with Peggy Carter. "What's..."

"Near as we can tell, you tried to take an enemy agent prisoner, he committed suicide, and you're starting a heat," Carter said. Howard was beside her. He smelled... oh dear god, he smelled like... His knees nearly gave out. Carter pinched his hand again. It hurt.

"Heat?" he said, stupidly. "I've never... I can't..."

"You were always a sickly thing, weren't you?" Howard said. He walked up, and Steve almost whimpered. The front of Howard's pants bulged out. "Erskine said you would be healthy afterwards."

God, he felt so heavy behind his navel. Words were hard. "Yes..?"

"That means heats if you're an Omega. Steve, you knew you were an Omega, right?" Carter asked him, still stroking his hand, then pinching it to keep him grounded. 

"Yes."

Howard reached up to stroke his face, and Steve leaned into it despite himself. Words drifted away again.

The caress turned into a slap. "Steve!"

It barely stung, but it snapped his eyes open, making him hiss as Howard Stark stood eye to eye with him. "Kid, you're in heat. You go outside and every Alpha in half a mile will know you're an Omega. If Erskine knew he had to have something in contingency. But we need time to find it. That means getting you grounded enough to be left alone while we find it."

He smelled like bay rum and sandalwood and something that made his knees weak and spread wide at the same time. Steve licked his lips.

"Gotta..." He grimaced. He knew what Howard was asking. Pretty much every Omega knew. "Okay."

Howard ran his fingers through Steve's hair. Shivers broke down his back, followed by a groan. Howard was growling, leaning into to lick the sweat off Steve's jaw. "I could eat you, sweetheart. And I plan to. Carter, try to run interference." Howard reached down to cup Steve's groin, making him mew when he pressed up, inside, his wet sopping through his pants. 

"I wish I had the privacy to make you scream, sweetheart," Howard purred, reaching for his pocket. Steve sighed, but it was too hard to tell him that he didn't need a rubber. Didn't need to be careful. Steve didn't have the equipment.

"But that doesn't mean I can't come close."

~*~*~*~*~

_2011_

"Why yes, the Capsicle is a dancing ray of brilliant sunshine- why do you ask?" Tony said on his phone, looking at the monitor. 

No, he really didn't care that Cap was staring at a file, at his phone, out the window. He really didn't care that the man had only left his apartment twice since moving in a little over two weeks ago. He didn't care that JARVIS was reporting Cap's internet activity as looking up his dead friends and termination options.

"To see if there has been any change in his status," Fury answered. "We've made noises to see if he is willing to talk to any SHIELD therapists, but so far he's not bitten. Has he made any decisions regarding his pregnancy?"

"Why the hell would he tell _me_ , Fury?" Tony muttered, tapping a soldering tool against his hand. "He barely looks at me." He barely looks at _anything_.

And after their charged, furious interactions on the Hellicarrier, it was strange to go to being completely invisible. Neither of them had been willing to cross the chasm between them, one that was suspiciously Howard-shaped. 

Steve Rogers, Captain America, had been this huge figure painted on the backdrop of Tony's childhood. Bigger than life. The one his father always used to shame him and encourage him. Steve had been Tony's first hero. The big, strong Alpha his father had wanted Tony to be. 

That he had been little more than a regular human being had been one of the greatest disappointments in Tony's childhood. 

"Because you're one of the few connections to his old life." Fury paused. "He's not said anything to you about the pregnancy? About who the father might be?"

Steve Rogers not being that Alpha that Tony had imagined his whole life had been like finding out that Santa Claus wasn't real...Except that his family had never treated Santa as real anyways. Tony felt like the world had been shaken and just couldn't understand why his dad had lied.

Okay, yes, he did. Male Omegas had been treated like freaks; male Omegas and female Alphas and other forms of intersexed were called abominations and were victims of witch hunts. Howard Stark had been protecting his friend.

"Nothing. I mean, it's still kind of a shock. Didn't all those history books talk about him like he was pure as the driven snow? I'm pretty sure they had him summon a unicorn at one point." Really, that one comic book had him take on the Devil. Unicorns should have been no problem.

Tony's eyes hadn't left the monitor. Steve was picking up his Stark Tablet and looked to be staring at the Planned Parenthood website. "And why the hell do you care? His body."

"He signed it over to the U.S. government when he agreed to be a super soldier. On top of that, the serum has never been replicated successfully. You know that, Stark."

"Uh, yeah. And you can wait for your super babies until he finds a partner he likes and isn't all freaked out by the twenty-first century. Besides, don't you have, like, those first two embryos?" Tony growled. "You keep talking like that and I'll tell Banner. Trust me, if there is anyone who knows what it feels like to have the government after your body, it's him. Big Green would just LOVE the chance to smash up the Hellicarrier while I help."

Fury went silent. Then there was a click.

_"Honey, Stevie, come on. Let me find you a landing zone."_

_"There's not going to be a safe landing. But I can try and force it down."_

Tony recognized Cap's voice right away. It took a few seconds for him to recognize Howard's.

_"Listen. We have time. We can fix this. I can fix this. I can make it better."_

_"There isn't time. This thing is heading too fast and it's headed for New York."_

Tony's back stiffened.

_"I have to put her in the water."_

_"There's always time. Please, Steve. Let me try."_

_"Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. I wait any longer, a lot of people are going to die."_

Tony remembered the feeling he had when he took the nuke through the wormhole; it had to be done. Cutting the wire wasn't possible. He knew it. But while Tony had regrets dragging him down, Cap sounded... almost relieved.

 _"Howard. This is something I have to do."_ The sound of the propellers changing direction could be heard even in the ancient recording. _"I'm sorry."_

_"No, you're not. But Stevie, you aren't alone up there. I can take you home, give you the life you deserve. You can move on. We'd work it out."_

_"Howard-"_

_"You'd love it. All the food you could eat, an art studio, you'd be designing my logos. You'd never want for anything again."_

_"I never cared about that, Howard."_

_"Can you imagine our babies?"_ There was a soft sob. _"They'd be amazing. I could have given you that. I wanted to-"_

 _"I can't, Howard. They took that away when I was a kid."_ Steve's voice was soft. _"I never could give that to anyone."_

_"Wait, you think that- Steve? STEVE?"_

The recording clicked again. "As you can hear, I have some strong suspicions on who the father of Captain Roger's offspring might be. And I felt you should know."

"What the hell, Big Brother? What do you expect _me_ to do with this?" Tony yelped, dropping his soldering tool. "Even if my dad put the filling in the American Pie-" he nearly swallowed his tongue at those words, because it changed everything and nothing at all. "Why do you want me to talk to him?"

"Because he's lost and alone with so almost as many issues as you, and you're the closest thing to family he's got. So kiss and make up and help him decide what he's going to do before the next alien invasion happens." 

Fury hung up before Tony could say anything more. Not that he could think of anything.

Instead he turned off the monitor and washed his hands.

~*~*~*~*~

_1945_

The whisky tasted like piss, and the beer was worse. The air tasted like ashes and smelled like fear. 

There wasn't much in this bombed out pub beyond his own soft sobs. All the patrons were memories.

The Howling Commandoes had been charmed, other soldiers said. The presence of their captain and his mighty shield was almost magic. People had seen his stupid uniform and rallied. It was almost spooky; they had walked into conflicts that would have seen upwards of fifty percent casualties and walked out with some flesh wounds and blown up equipment. 

Not that Steve was a stranger to death, to losing soldiers. He had been assigned to other units, worked with them, seen boys blown to bits. There had been battles where the casualties was so high that there had been no time to go back for the bodies, just left them were they fell. 

Somehow, Steve had believed his team was immune. He had believed that Bucky would always, always come out safe.

His gut hurt, a wretched, wretched ache that popped in his side before a twisting in navel told him that something was wrong. Not quite a stab, but it didn't seem to want to go away. 

There was a crunch of broken glass, breathing and a heart beat in a cadence he knew too well. A glance told him all he needed to know.

"Erskine said that," he said, choking a little as he tried to force down the more tears. "Said that the serum wouldn't just affect my muscles; it would affect my cells. Create a, a protective system of regeneration and healing. Which means, uh..." he looked down into his glass. "I can't get drunk." He flicked his gaze up to his guest. "Did you know that?"

"Yeah. He mentioned it," Howard said, taking a chair and sitting across from him. Then he took a deep breath. "Your metabolism runs at four times faster than average." His expression turned into a frown. "But... this is only your second heat?"

"What?" Steve asked, shaky. He blinked at those words, remembering Howard squirreling him away. Letting Howard- no, begging Howard- to take him. The memory sent a spike of need down to his groin, making hot slick ooze out of his pussy. He felt his face flush; he hadn't noticed the heaviness behind his navel in some time, but it was there. "I..."

"Sweetheart," Howard started, standing to kneel in front of Steve's chair and take his hand. He lightly traced Steve's palm, rubbing his thumb against Steve's wrist. "You with me?"

He felt like he had gulped down ground glass along with the booze, and nothing had dulled the pain. Nothing was making it go away. "I'm here," Steve said quietly, not meeting his eyes. 

The pain mixed with the wanting, almost overpowering it. "Howard?"

Howard picked his hand up and kissed it. "Yeah?"

"Help me forget for awhile?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as Howard stood, and loomed over him. "I want to forget. Just talk to me."

"Anything you want, sweetheart," Howard mumbled, leaning down to press his lips to Steve's and. Oh. He could kiss. The slide of skin on skin, of Howard helping him to his feet and kicking the chair away had his knees trembling. His body craved this; he had lost his partner, the one he loved most and he needed to fill that void right now. And Howard was fucking overwhelming. His taste, his smell, the burn of his mustache on Steve's face as they kissed, the rough skin of his hands as he yanked off Steve's tie and uniform jacket. 

Steve muttered to himself, fingers feeling too large and clumsy as he reciprocated, rubbing the heavy, hard cock behind Howard's fly. 

"God, sweetheart, you smell like," Howard growled, between kisses and pulling up his shirt to pinch Steve's tits. "You smell like- ready." Howard said with a shudder, pushing Steve against the table to get to his nipples, tugging first the right, then the left, with his teeth. 

"Howard." He hated it. He hated that while he loved Bucky, after almost two years he still couldn't forget it. Howard had smelled ( _virile, fertile, healthy, strong_ ) divine, and that hadn't changed. It made his mouth water. His knot had hurt good. His tits ached as Howard kneaded on them. "Fuck me. Get it in me, Howard-"

The other man shuddered, fingers fumbling. "Don't have a-"

"Don't care." He fumbled for his own pants and belt, and Howard helped him push them, and his briefs, to his knees. "Doesn't matter. Want it." He was panting, drool coming down his chin. Nothing mattered. Nothing. Just- a few more seconds of-

"Shh, got you sweetheart," Howard purred, kissing Steve's neck and pulling him to his feet to spin him around. Steve braced himself on the table, spreading his legs wide as Howard opened his fly and pulled his cock out.

He trembled, gasping as he felt the head of Howard's erection slide against his pussy lips, part them and plunge inside. He set a hard, fast pace, and Steve growled, pushing back into him. Howard nipped Steve's neck, pulling out and pushing Steve against the wall. He grabbed Steve's left knee and wrapped Steve's leg around his waist, plunging inside again.

They fucked against the wall, on the floor, over the bar until Howard knotted him, caught tight by Steve's cunt and clamping down. The warm, slimy feel of Howard spurting jets of cum inside him finally tipped Steve over the edge and he yelled.

For a moment, he could let go.

But it didn't last.

~*~*~*~*~

_2011_

Steve rode the elevator down.

He didn't really know where he was going. Just needed to get out. Out wasn't better than in, but at least it meant not being confined my walls. He had enough of being trapped.

Stark had been kind enough to give him a replica of his old bike, 'with a few upgrades.' The good thing was that it didn't need a kidney belt. But it was a difference, and right now, familiarity would have been helpful.

That was when the elevator stopped.

His hands clenched down on the rail, and it gave, just slightly, under his grip, as the doors split open to reveal Tony Stark, smudged with grease and smelling like burned plastic. He had put on a leather jacket, his hair was mussed and Steve didn't think he had seen the genius look this disheveled since the battle for New York.

"Stark," he said, wishing he could make his voice sound less flat. It wasn't Stark's fault he felt like a truck had hit him. At this rate, he didn't know if it was because of the pregnancy or because he hadn't eaten since this morning. 

"Cap," the other man said. 

He hadn't intentionally been avoiding Stark. Well, not because of _that_. Tony Stark was his opposite in temperament: he was abrasive, rude, acted self-absorbed and selfish. He saw details, but didn't know how those details affected the people around him. 

He also represented everything Steve had lost that Howard had tried to offer: companionship, family, wealth, stability, status and power. 

Steve had only been interested in two of those things; he still didn't know he had felt about Howard. Steve might have been able to love him. Could have loved him. Howard would probably have treated him well, even if they had to keep it secret. It was illegal back then for them to married. Howard had offered him everything he had wanted with Bucky.

Tony was, well, everything Steve could have had if he had not gone into the ice.

His fingers clenched on the railing again.

"Uh..."

Steve looked up. Tony was cracking his knuckles. "What's wrong, Stark?"

"Yeah. Um, you can call me Tony. Makes me sound different from my old man." He was bouncing on his toes, then ran his fingers through his short, dark hair. His eyes darted about. "And, uh, speaking of my old man..."

"I thought Howard was off limits." Steve crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. "Didn't want me comparing you to him."

Sta-, no, Tony, laughed and turned it into a cough.

"Well, we're obviously- I'm a beta, you're an... uh, an Omega."

"I thought you said that didn't bother you?" Steve didn't know where the flatness came from, but he shifted his weight as his accent thickened. Was Tony spoiling for a fight? 

"What? No, I'm fine with it. Just... um, Dad... talked about you all the time. Constantly told me stories. Make you sound- well, it doesn't matter. I thought it was because I was a disappointment to him," Tony said, keeping his eyes darted to the side.

Steve tilted his head. "What?" He had gotten the impression that Howard and Tony hadn't been close, but this was unexpected. "Why are you telling me that?"

"Because I think I realized why. Dad, y'know, he had a reputation for being a lady's man. An Alpha's Alpha," Tony continued. "I heard a few stories that he would sleep with anyone with a vagina. Even after he married my mom. Liked tall blonds, apparently." He stopped, drawing back when the rail bent completely. 

"St- _Tony_ -"

"Now that? That's impressive. I had these reinforced-" Tony started racing his mouth even as the elevator doors split wide to the private garage. Steve charged out. "No, wait. Wait-"

"Say what you want to say, St- Tony." Steve didn't look back at him. "Stop dancing around it."

"Okay, okay. I don't have any right to tell you want to do right now. But the way dad talked about you. I always thought it was because I was bad and you were his favorite. I was wro- well, no, I was right. You were always his favorite. The old man was so in love with you it wasn't funny. He may have dated, he may have gotten married, but you were who he wanted." Tony stopped, and Steve could hear his breathing stutter. "The reason I was never good enough never had anything to do with me not being an Alpha. It was because you ... you weren't my mother."

Steve's shoulders slumped, hands swinging free at his sides. "Tony. Don't- we didn't-"

"Don't you dare tell me he didn't love you. Don't you dare. Fury had me listen to the recording of you going down. I never heard that man beg for anything in his _life_. He begged for _you_ , and you just-"

"I had lost Bucky four weeks before," Steve said, finally turning around. "I had been with him since I was _sixteen_ , Tony. Everything, all of it- trying to get recruited, volunteering for the serum- it was so I could see him again. I never lied about wanting to fight, to stop bullies. It was all I was good for." He met Tony's gaze, saw the fierce, boiling and impotent anger boiling there. "Howard helped me through my first heat. I didn't know that the serum had fixed," Steve continued, and waved his hand over his middle. "I didn't know that it fixed me. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. I went into heat and Howard helped me through it; he was the only Alpha that Peggy would trust. I didn't have another heat until after Bucky had," he gulped, all the air going out of his lungs. "Until after Bucky had died, and I didn't want to feel anymore. Howard came to me and we-" he wrapped his arms around his middle and stopped speaking. "I didn't love him. I might have, eventually. But not how he wanted."

Tony rubbed his forehead. "He knew."

"I didn't push for a rubber. I mean, Bucky and I, we hadn't exactly been careful. And if that had never gotten me pregnant..." Steve exhaled. "What do you want, Tony?"

"I- I just- I don't know. My dad? This was the kid he wanted. With you." He hunched his shoulders. "He looked for you, for years, you know that? Kept hoping." He looked down. "I think he looked at me and saw that he had given up on _you_."

Steve looked away again. "I'm sorry."

"Well, that was the past. He's not here. But, just so you know? I never had siblings, or any other family. Whatever you need, though. I'll help take care of it." Tony rocked on his toes again. "I can't, either. You know? Last year, I had a thing. With paladium poisoning. So my swimmers sink more than swim. So. I sort of understand what you're going through." Tony exhaled. "Never wanted kids. I'd make a horrible father. But having that option taken, and then..."

Steve felt a laugh bubble up, but there was no humor there. "I wanted kids, Tony. Me 'n Buck, sometimes, we talked about it. If things had been different and I wasn't broken. How we could have gotten away with it." He spread his hands, and shrugged, helplessly. His voice turned gravelly. "I mean, this is what I wanted but... " Steve rubbed his face, dashing away tears he hadn't noticed until that moment. "I'm not sure I'd make a good ma right now, Tony. And this kid, what would happen to it?" He laughed again, this time a bit hysterical. "People find out I'm an Omega? It's good for intersex and trans folks, but... Enemies are gonna line up when they see the big belly. I'll be slow. The kid, too, can get taken. And SHIELD? I trust them to try to protect people but this kid would be too tempting. She, he, they- they deserve to be treated like a child. Not turned into a tool no matter how smart or strong."

Tony grimaced. "This kid, as you call it? It's a Stark. And a Rogers. Whatever type of person he or she or they are, is going to change the world. Leave a legacy. Do you want this kid?"

Steve opened his mouth. Closed it. Slowly, he nodded. 

"Then we can fix this."

To be concluded.

** Chapter Three **

"Well, everyone, we would like to make an announcement," Tony began, and Steve didn't know if he wanted to shrink in on himself or hide.

So he had made his decision. He would go through with the pregnancy (And his mind and feelings quickly detached and hid; he wanted it. He did. But it had seemed more impossible than aliens and oh- damnit, Bucky) and try to find a way for the kid to be cared for.

Which had lead to this: a team meeting.

They had gathered at Avengers Tower, in a room so full of glass and light it felt like they should be outside. Tony had assured them, though, that no one could peek inside. Fury was standing in the back, bowed like a buzzard over the sofas, face blank and thoughtful. Natasha and Bruce were sitting across from each other, politely pretending to ignore the other, even if Natasha had her eye on the exit the whole time and Bruce was sipping a chai. 

Thor wasn't there, but they weren't expecting him. No one had seen hide nor hair of him since he had taken Loki back to Asgard. Steve wasn't sure how he felt there about it; on the one hand, fighting alongside Thor had been fun. He seemed honest and honorable. On the other, didn't it mean something bad was happening?

Slightly unexpected was to see Hawkeye. Clint Barton had been scarce since the attack, and Steve didn't blame him. Having your mind stolen and manipulated was a nightmare Steve could not imagine, and hoped the man would be able to recover from. But during the battle he had been as reliable as their eyes as Bucky had been. It would be a pity not to have them.

"We'd like to announce that our Cap here has a bun in the oven, to those who didn't know." Tony gestured grandly, holding a glass of scotch. He pointed at Clint. "And that's pretty much just you, Bullseye." 

Clint blinked, and looked back and forth between Steve and Tony. He sat across the from Steve, both of them with a pizza box in hand. "No shit? Congrats, man." 

"Thank you," Steve answered from behind his tower of pizza boxes. They were stacked up over the low coffee table in front of them. "It was... a surprise."

"Yeah, no kidding. Given that it's a Stark in there and," the table erupted into chaos, which resulted in Tony clapping his hands to get order back "AND not mine!"

Steve palmed his face, but... well, he better do the explaining here. So he stood, and the room turned quiet as they looked at him.

"Yes. So. The history books didn't mention that I had, ah," and he felt his face heating, because he knew the way people looked at him, treated him like he was some kind of weird model of chastity and thought babies came from cabbage patches "had been in the sack with anyone at all. But yes, I did. And yes, occasionally with Howard. I-" his jaw worked, and he looked up to find the entire crowd looking at him with expressions of kindness. "I got pregnant. And apparently had a partial miscarriage after the ice." He saw Fury's face twitch but he couldn't read it. "So. Yes. I'm going through with the pregnancy because I had been given to think I couldn't-" he stopped, choking, and dropped the eyes of everyone in the group again.

"What Cap here is saying is I'm going to be a big brother! Right?" Tony said, walking up and giving Steve a nudge. "And..."

"Yeah, Tony." He wiped his face on his sleeve. Fury was blank again, and Natasha's smile was so full of empathy he didn't think it belonged to the same woman. Bruce's smile was sad, distant, his mind somewhere else. 

Clint, though? Clint was thoughtful.

"We're trying to figure out arrangements. The situation is... complicated. Very complicated. I don't think raising a child, with the life I lead, would be a good idea. I don't have a partner who can take on that responsibility of caring for it, and hanging up my shield isn't something I can do," Steve said with a grimace.

"You could." Natasha had leaned back against the couch, but she had curled up, hugging her knees. "No one would stop you from taking off. HYDRA is gone. You've earned the right to leave. Disappear, enjoy the world. Do whatever you want to. Go play."

"I'm not an idiot. I know SHIELD would track me the same way they tracked Banner." Steve nodded towards Bruce, who took another sip of his tea. His expression was still turned inward. "But aside from that... I want to have the baby but I'm... I'm not sure I can raise it." He found himself staring at his pile of pizza boxes. "I'm not..." Words weren't coming. This baby was the last piece of his old world; this baby wasn't Bucky's. This baby was sired by a good friend who wasn't the love of his life and he was so torn up about it he wanted to scream. 

He could barely get out of bed on good days. 

He couldn't give up his shield. He was useless otherwise. 

"Actually, I think I can help you," Clint said.

~*~*~*~*~

The Quinjet landed softly, the engines going silent as the ramp lowered, and Steve followed Clint out into the field.

No one else had been invited.

"I'm taking a metal health break. Nice thing about working for SHIELD," Clint started, walking through the empty field towards what looked to be an old farm house. "Is that they do give you time off when you've had your brain so scrambled you kinda want to put your head through a wall."

"What is this place?" Steve asked. He had learned, very quickly, how to deal with being in the countryside in Europe, so he wasn't completely thrown for a loop. 

The house sat in the middle of a several fields. Those fields, in turn, were surrounded by woods. The air felt clean, with just the barest hint of wood smoke in the wet morning chill. The sun had barely risen, and a very enthusiastic rooster was reminding everyone of that fact. He could hear animals; he wasn't quite sure what they were, other than the chickens. He couldn't hear any engine noise beyond what might be a lone truck, miles away.

The house itself was wrapped in a veranda, and the siding was freshly painted white. Rocking chairs sat next to a porch swing. 

"This is home," Clint said, trotting up the stairs. "Fury set it up for me when I was recruited. It's a safe place, not in any SHIELD databases. Everything is under an alias. We used stealth mode on the Quinjet so we can't be followed that way. The town down the way is small; any strangers would cause a fuss. Everyone is in everyone's business because everyone knows everyone there." He opened the door, and gestured for Steve to come in.

"It's where I'm raising my family."

That should have been surprising, but the house smelled like Clint, and the young green scent of children.

The inside was... familiar. The furniture and decorations would be considered old fashioned, but Steve found himself smiling a bit. There were also colorful blocks strewn across the floor, a ball and a doll left beside the door. Coats were hung on the rack, along with a tiny pink umbrella.

"Laura! I'm home!"

A tall woman, with elegant cheekbones and slender build, tromped out from the back. "Hey! Honey! Good to see you!"

Her smile was bright, and wide, and Steve blinked at her as the various scents in the new place started to settle. He had smelled children, had smelled an Alpha and Omega and...

Well. 

Clint gave Steve a sheepish smile when a thunder happened down the stairs, and two children squealed in delight to see him.

Steve found himself smiling despite himself as Clint was embraced by his family. 

"Yeah. Laura, I mean to call but it was really early and I didn't want Stark listening in and-"

She shushed him, kissing him quickly. "You brought a guest. Want to introduce him?"

Clint smiled at her, before turning and gesturing. "Cap, this is my wife, Laura Barton. These are my kids, Cooper and Lila," he said, nodding to the little boy and girl, who stuck to his waist. "Laura, Cooper, Lila, this is Steve Rogers. Captain America."

Steve was relieved when only a little recognition showed on their faces; Laura's face, however, looked more impressed.

"Would you like to join us for breakfast?"

~*~*~*~*~

"So, that's my family," Clint said, taking Steve out to sit on the porch swing with a cup of coffee as Laura loaded the kids into a battered truck to take to school. "What do you think?"

Steve had been pounced at breakfast, with Lila in his lap while Cooper talked baseball and 

"They're swell, Clint."

"Yeah, they are." His face lit with joy. "Coop gave me one hell of a time when I carried him. I think he was taking dancing lessons. Lila, she found one nerve and just sat on it. Unfortunately it was next to my bladder. That was... embarassing." He laughed, quietly. 

Steve nodded, tilting back on the swing. He had suspected; Laura did nothing to hide that she was an Alpha. Female Alphas, once their bodies shifted, were no longer able to carry children without extreme hormone therapy. In fact, it was typically easier for most Alphas, no matter their birth assignments, to live as men. Same with Omegas. 

"We had some trouble," Clint went on. "I was a late bloomer and Laura always had a low sperm count. Despite going into heat, it took a lot of help for me to get pregnant with Coop. Lila was our surprise. We've been trying for the past couple of years, but between the crazy stuff going on and... well, it's just not happened. Laura and I had been talking about adopting or fostering. Would you like us to take yours?"

Steve opened his mouth, then shut it again, and nodded. Everything he had seen so far said that the Bartons had a good, stable home. The house was clean, the food was fresh and lots of it. The kids were healthy and happy, squealing and bouncing like puppies through breakfast. 

"I can't just back in the game just yet," Clint added. "I mean," and he looked down, laughing brokenly. "I killed how many agents? And my handler died? Just, I'm not ready to jump back in. You need a place. Seems like a good idea. Plus, I'm, well." He shrugged. "I'm the odd one out. I shot things. While fighting aliens. But I can do this. Tony can do his thing, we figure out how many aunts and uncles your little one gets to have and Tony has to fight for best big brother with Coop. Because, I promise, Coop's the best brother in the world." Pride shown on Clint's face and Steve chuckled, and looked out over the yard.

It would do. 

"This kid, whatever it is, is going to be pretty special," Steve admitted. "Thank you. Tony wants to help but-"

"Stark ain't exactly famous for his, um, nurturing skills. It's okay. I got that covered. We'll figure it out." His own eyes were haunted as he looked out at the peach sky of dawn, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them. "But you're not alone, Cap."

Steve nodded, leaning back. In a few months he would be starting to show. It had seemed impossible until now.

But maybe, at last, he could accept what had happened to him. He had lost Bucky, and Howard and the world had moved on without him. 

 

Now, perhaps, he could start hoping for the future.

 

The end.


End file.
